Out!
by Burtonized Lady HellRat
Summary: Our dear demon barber pushes our favorite baker too far, causing her to make a choice. Will she come to regret her decision in time, will he come to realize what she truly means to his life? There is only one way to find out my sweet friends, read on. :3 )
1. Chapter 1

**A Rash Decision **

**Hello all, Burtonized Lady HellRat at your service. It has been some time since I have updated any stories but I have become incredibly busy with school work since the semester started up, I know that a shitty excuse but it's the true one and I wouldn't want to be labeled as a liar now would I? So now that I have an idea, I am taking full advantage of it. Of course I don't own Sweeney Todd, if I did though I would be a very proud female. **

Eleanor Lovett fell onto her recliner and let out a long sigh. It had been a long day, leading up to the busiest night that she could remember. She couldn't complain too much though, a lot of business obviously brought in a lot of money as well. Plus, she enjoyed walking around and talking to all of her customers. She had just started to relax when a booming voice rang from her pie shop. "Mrs. Lovett, where are you?!" Nellie rose quickly and cursed under her breath; with all of the customers that had come she had completely forgotten about the barber upstairs. She popped her head into the shop and saw Sweeney Todd glaring at her with his foot tapping. "Mrs. Lovett, what happened to my pie?"

She grit her teeth and brought her hands to the top of her head. "Gawd, I am so sorry Mr. T. With all of the business I 'ad tonight it completely escaped my mind. 'Sides dearie, do you really mind it that much? I mean, you never eat the pies that I give you anyway." This was not the thing to say to the demon barber, much less any typical impatient person.

His lips formed into a tight and straight line. "So now you're just going to let me starve? You are the landlady and a baker as well, is it not your job to bake pies and to serve people food?"

She let her jaw drop and she shook her head. "Yes, but do you not 'ave two feet? I saw that you noticed how busy I was tonight, did you never think to simply walk down 'ere and take one for yourself? I always keep one to the side just for you." She moved her arm in the direction of a tray that held a lone pie and a glass of gin that lay on the counter. Sweeney's expression did not change and he did not respond, so Mrs. Lovett continued. "You don't though do you Mr. Todd?! You never think because I do everything for you anyway. I cook for you, I clean for you, and I bake your blasted victims into meat pies for you! I'm surprised that you haven't asked me to bathe or feed you yet; I would be shocked if I saw you bring a fork to your mouth! His mouth began to twitch into a frown and a silent growl began to escape from his mouth. This should have been Mrs. Lovett's first warning, and had she heard it she probably would have stopped talking right then. "Do I even get a thank you or any other sign of appreciation though, never! You're just a child, and a selfish one at that! You don't give a shit about anyone but yourself, your bloody revenge, and that damn wife of yo-"

Her speech was cut off only when his palm collided with her right cheek. Her hand immediately rushed to her cheek and she let out a shrill shriek. She looked at him with tears beginning to form in her wide eyes, her jaw hanging low. She tried to yell, she wanted to yell, but all that came out was short breaths. Almost as if an alarm had been sounded, Toby came running into the shop from his bedroom. As soon as he saw the barber's glare and his mum in pain he ran to defend her. Sweeney clutched onto the boys wrist tightly just as Toby was about to attack him with his fists. He dug his nails into the boy's wrist until markings appeared; his eyes seemed to burst into flames of unmistakable malice. The boy gulped and looked down in defeat; the barber smirked and pushed him away. He walked over and grabbed the pie and gin. Right before he left to return to his shop he turned sharply and pointed his finger at the baker. "Don't you dare, ever, speak of my Lucy that way again! She was a much more refined woman than you will ever be!" His finger then moved down towards Toby. "You need to learn more proper respect. Though I cannot completely blame you, you can't learn properly unless you are taught well." Nellie swore that she could return his slap at that moment. How dare he disrespect not only her, but the boy that she considered a son as well?

It was too late for her to offer a retort though; he was already making his way up the staircase. She simply began to grind her teeth in frustration before turning to face the boy. She bent down and cradled his wrist in her palms. "Toby you're bleeding, did he really scratch into you that deeply?" Toby nodded and looked into her tear filled eyes. "You poor thing, let's clean you up." She grabbed a towel and dunked it into a bucket of water, giving the boy a smile as she cleaned off the bit of blood that was on his wrist.

She rose and pulled him close to her; he tightened his arms around her waist and felt himself calm down as she lightly stroked his hair. He looked up at her with furrowed eyebrows. "Why do you always let him do this to ya mum? 'E hit you and you're not gonna do anything? All 'e does is hurt you upset you more, you're stronger than that mum. I just don't like it is all."

Nellie let out a sigh and smiled at the young boy. "You know love; I don't think that Mr. Todd really understands what a smart boy you are. I'll talk to him tomorrow, I think that we've all 'ad enough commotion for one night. Now 'ow's we read a little before bed dear?" Toby wiped some stray tears away with his arm and grinned. He ran off in the direction of his bedroom while Nellie looked for a book for them to read together.

The next morning began the same as every morning, which meant that things were going peacefully so far. Nellie hoped that the barber upstairs had forgotten about the events the evening before. She walked into the pie shop and began to fix breakfast for the three of them. She had already started on the muffins when she started beating the eggs, as she whisked her motions intensified as she began to think about the night before. "Blasted man, I don't even know why I'm making a damn breakfast for him. I'm only wasting my time doing this, 'e won't even eat-"

"Mum, why are ya talking to yourself?" Toby had just come into the shop rubbing his eyes as she was speaking. "Are you still mad about what happened with Mr. Todd last night?"

Nellie watched him walk over to the counter and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. "A bit dearie, but it's nothing you need worry yourself about. Are you doin' alright Toby?" Toby nodded and looked at her with a half smile. "Now then, why don't you 'elp me with the breakfast. You can finish off the muffins and start getting 'em ready to bake if you want." Toby nodded and his smile grew when he heard her mention the muffins.

After the pair had finished off their breakfast Nellie began to get Sweeney's breakfast ready while Toby dressed out of his pajamas and into his clothing for the day. Mrs. Lovett made her way up the staircase and carefully balanced the tray. She was about to knock when she heard the sound of glass shattering come from inside the tonsorial parlor. She pushed open the door just as Sweeney let out a stream of curse words, 'and so the bad day begins' she could only think as she saw the glass all over the floor near the now broken mirror in the corner of the shop. She saw that Sweeney was already crouching down to pick up the shards so she threw the tray down on the chest and ran over to him. "Now Mr. T, don't go doing that now. I don't want you gettin' anything stuck in your 'ands, you just grab your breakfast from the chest and I'll be right back with a trash bin and broom."

When she returned she saw Sweeney sitting in his chair, staring down at the tray of untouched food in his lap. She ran over to the mess and began to clean when she saw that he still wouldn't eat. "What's wrong with it love, if you don't eat it now everything's gonna get cold. It's just eggs and a blueberry muffin, fresh and juicy ones to be exact. Eat it up dear you'll like it, mine and Toby's were delicious." She rolled her eyes at his wrinkled nose and got back to her cleaning, when she had finished cleaning she saw that the tray was on the floor and that he had taken his position at his window. He began to pace, taking slow steps, his glaring eyes never leaving the scene outside of his window. He reminded her of a scavenger searching with excitement for its next meal. She let out a long sigh and rose to her feet. "Are you gonna eat the food Mr. Todd, or is it going to end like it did last night?"

Sweeney lowered his head and slowly made his way over to his chair. He picked up the tray before seating himself and picked up the muffin. Mrs. Lovett grinned and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Now then Mr. T, it ain't so bad is it?"

Sweeney gave no response, he simply kept eating. His face lacked a sign of any emotion whatsoever; Mrs. Lovett simply decided to take this as a good sign; it wasn't as if he would ever compliment her anyway. All that she ever seemed to get from him were smirks and unpleasant noises. She was about to leave when Sweeney spoke, "Here you are Mrs. Lovett." She turned to face him and saw him holding out the tray. Three bites had been taken from the muffin and it looked like he had barely eaten any of the eggs.

She sighed and shook her head; well at least he had eaten something. As soon as he saw her face he scowled. "I ate some Mrs. Lovett, what the hell do you expect from me? Do you want me to eat it all and then shower you with fucking praise for your cooking skills?"

Nellie squinted and shook her head. "Gawd Mr. T, you act as if I expect some sorta parade or somethin'. I wouldn't say not to a thank you at least though, anything that shows that you're even the slightest bit grateful." He said nothing, the only part that seemed to move were his twitching lips. His eyes never left her as she continued on her, in his own opinion, unnecessary outburst. "I hate to say this Mr. Todd, I really do. Sometimes though, I just feel like I-"

Sweeney's hands balled into fists, his fingernails digging into his palms. "You feel like what, Mrs. Lovett?" Sweeney didn't know what he was going to do. He knew that Mrs. Lovett was a strong woman, but lately it seemed that she was growing even stronger than he and this was something that he did not want to admit.

"I feel like I've wasted fifteen years for nothing. I've always believed that all good things come to those who can wait, so I did, but for what? To end up cutting up corpses, getting yelled at when you're in one of your infamously constant bad moods, and getting nothing good in return. I could have sold those razors but I didn't, I could have left years ago but I didn't. I waited for fifteen years, while your beautiful and virtuous Lucy went and killed herself only two months after you were gone. She would have never wanted to see you as you are now anyway, maybe it's best that she died."

That was what it took to make Sweeney snap. His hand grasped onto the razor in his back pocket until his knuckle turned white. Before Nellie could blink he had it right up to her throat. He bit onto his lower lip until droplets of blood appeared; his breathing increased and his nostrils flared like a bull ready to charge. "How, dare you, say that, about my wife! You are not worth anything compared to her; you're barely anything at all in fact. You're a scarlet harlot who will do anything for praise; the only reason why you get any extra money is because your male customers like to see how tight your corset can get!" His razor dug into her skin so deeply that blood of her own began trickling down her throat. He wasn't going to kill her, what use would she be then? He just wanted to be dominant; he wanted her to cry for him to stop cutting her. The thing that he did not expect her to do was to spit on his face.

He stepped back and wiped his face with his sleeve, letting go of his razor in the process. When she saw her moment she sprang into action, grabbing the razor off of the ground. She held it close to her, the blade slightly turned away from her. "Toby and my friend Autumn were right, why the hell wouldn't I bloody listen?" Acting on impulse, she ran and grabbed the box that contained the rest of her razors. He ran to stop her but she moved out of the way and he missed. He spun around squinting eyes and raised eyebrow to see her run out the door, only to throw the box onto the cobblestone ground. "You want your fucking razors; you can get 'em! I'm sick of it, I've put up with this shit for almost a year and I never though that I could have a limit! Thank you for truly showing me that everyone, including myself, has a breaking point."

Sweeney didn't immediately run after his razors, in fact he didn't even move from his spot. He just kept looking at Nellie with the same expression, looking like he had been frozen stiff. He rose slowly into a full standing position and his jaw fell slowly. "What exactly do you mean Mrs. Lovett?"

Nellie didn't turn; she only stood gripping the banister of the staircase. "It means that I'm finished Mr. Todd, I just can't anymore." She let out a slight sniffle and took a shaky breath. "I waited fifteen years for nothing; you've made it perfectly clear that I am nothing. I can't spend the rest of my life cutting up your victims, having a delusional glimmer of hope that one day I may be worth something to you. Worth something more than just a baker, just a coconspirator." She spun on her heels and narrowed her eyebrows at him, her shoulders rising and falling with ever deep breath that she took. "I'll tell you one thing though Sweeney Todd, I ain't some type of whore like ya said I was! Nothing could make me act like that, especially not now. Now I'm going to take your razors back downstairs with me, you can take them with you once you've got everything together if you'd like."

Sweeney could only watch as she walked down the stairs and back into her pie shop. He shook his head slowly and ran his hand through his thick hair. What was Mrs. Lovett talking about? What did she mean when she said that he had to get everything together? He tried to convince his mind that it didn't mean what he thought that it did. Mrs. Lovett would never do that, at least he never believed that it would be possible. Had he actually gone too far this time?

**Well there you have it; I do hope that you enjoyed the first chapter. Again, it has been quite a while since I've written anything. I was planning on having this up earlier but things became too hectic much too quickly for me. So what do you think Mrs. Lovett meant, what's going to happen to Sweeney? Will the Earl Grey that I am shoving down my throat fully restore my voice after losing it Friday night at a third concert of my favorite singer? Will I ever get over the utter joy and euphoria that I experienced Friday night? The answer to the last one is likely, hello no! She ate my homemade Earl Grey cupcake and now I'm using part of her in my fanfic. My sister: Helena, didn't she mention how appalled and disgusted she was by fanfic perversion at the concert? Me: Yes, but I am working on Swellie/Toddett fanfiction (it will come in time), not Emilonica/Autlow fanfiction (at least not right now). Alright, enough jabber from me. Farewell until next time dames and gents. =:3 )~**


	2. Evicted and Alone

**Evicted and Alone**

**So here we are, onto chapter two. I am so glad with all of the wonderfully sweet reviews that I received for chapter one, I only hope that I can continue to please you all. So thank you ****WhatIsUnImAgInEd****, ****Rio-Brazilian-Girl****, ****thelovelyflorencelovett****, ****bellatrixblack12****, ****dionne dance****, ****RedEyedOreos123**** and ****awesomefrankiefan. It is because of you that I have typed a second chapter. So thank you all for your wonderful words. So now without a further ado, the disclaimer, I do not own Sweeney Todd and I never will. Fa la la, onto chapter two w- *Sweeney appears from nowhere with a friend pointed at me.* Get on with it Helena, now! Me: Yeah, okay demon boy!**

Sweeney stood looking at his picture of Lucy and Johanna, running his fingers over the portraits frowning. He turned and carefully placed them in between some of his belongings in the bag. It seemed like not long ago he had returned to London, now what was he going to do? At least he had a place to go when he came back before, now he was going to be out on the streets with the forlorn homeless and common prostitutes. Worst of all though, was that it was Mrs. Lovett who had sent him away. He was beginning to think that she had some sort of feelings for him, but he wasn't so sure anymore. She had turned around on him and he was completely lost. It must have been an hour since Nellie had left by now, she must have been wondering what he was up to. He tightened the tie and grimaced as he lifted the heavy bag over his shoulder. He took a quick glace around the tonsorial parlor to make sure that he didn't leave anything behind, then his lips formed into a straight line as he closed the door behind him.

As soon as he reached the bottom of the staircase he looked through the shop window and saw his box of razors on Mrs. Lovett's counter. He also saw Mrs. Lovett sitting and talking to a blonde woman. He opened the door and the two women looked straight at him, Mrs. Lovett's glaring eyes matching her shallow breathing perfectly. The blonde woman was the first to speak. He green eyes seemed to burst into flames. "Well if it isn't the barber himself? Come to try to gain Nellie's trust, only to hurt 'er again 'ave ya?"

Nellie stood and shook her head at her friend. "Come now Autumn, there's no need for you to get involved with mine and Mr. Todd's problems. I am glad that you care but it's really unnecessary." Nellie walked over to the box and handed it to the barber. "I believe you came in for these Mr. Todd?" Sweeney nodded, his eyes never leaving the baker's. He knew that she was trying to look as angry as possible, but he could swear that he saw tears starting to form in her eyes. It was almost as if she was even trying to convince herself to go through with her actions at this point, he couldn't help but wonder if she would take it back.

Sweeney reached out his hands and took the box in his hands slowly. He looked down and shrugged his shoulders. "I was starting to believe that you had certain feelings for me, was I right? Mrs. Lovett?"

Nellie began to pull on her dress as she tried to figure out the best way to respond. "You were right Mr. Todd; I did 'ave feelings for you. Then again, I may still 'ave feelings for you, I'm just not completely sure anymore. Part of me is just tired of it all, trying to make you show feelings for me which you clearly never can or will 'ave."

Sweeney would not even look at her at this point; he was honestly shocked by what she was saying to him. He knew that she had a certain amount of fondness for him, but he had never imagined that it went that far. He opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off at that exact moment. "Then the other part of me is just angry. Angry about 'ow every time I say something honest you have a razor at me throat, just because it's something that you don't want to hear. Well I'm sick of it; your dearest Lucy wasn't as perfect and sweet as you thought that she was Sweeney Todd. So go ahead, you 'ave your razors in your grasp, pull one out and threaten me like always!"

Sweeney darted his eyes between the box and his soon to be former landlady. She was too strong and for once he didn't have any kind of retort. Normally he would pull out a razor and that would end the argument, but now that would just prove her point. He wasn't as strong as he had always led himself to believe that he was, his friends and his anger were his only defense. She always did well in an argument though; she always seemed to have a rebuttal, even if it was extemporaneous. He then spoke so quietly that she was the only one that could hear him. "Where am I supposed to go? This place has been the closest to what I could call home."

Nellie looked up at his face; his eyes still hadn't found a subject to focus on. There wasn't anger in his voice anymore; it was something that confused her even more, an emotion that never seemed to be shown by the demon barber. What was this man trying to do; did he intend to look as miserable as he could in order to weaken her? She couldn't let him win though; she was determined to show him just how strong she could be without him. "I don't know Mr. Todd, but I'm sure that you will figure something out. You 'ave your friends as well; they 'ave never stopped ya before." She glared at him and raised her hand to cover the mark that he had made earlier.

Sweeney began to turn away from Mrs. Lovett when Toby walked through the door with bags in his hands. "I got everything you wan-" he saw Sweeney's bag and looked at the barber with a furrowed brow. "Mum, what's going on? Where is Mr. Todd going?"

Mrs. Lovett walked over to the boy and put a hand on his shoulder, her eyes fixed on Sweeney as if he were a target. "'E was just leaving Toby, 'e isn't going to be stayin' here anymore. Thank you for picking up me groceries dear, you can go relax for a bit if you'd like." Toby wasn't listening much after Mrs. Lovett had said that Sweeney was leaving, his jaw had dropped slightly when he heard that. He never thought that his mother would ever do that, not that he was complaining of course. He slowly made his way to his bedroom, staring at the barber as he walked past him.

Nellie did not completely know whether what she was doing was right. Here was the only man that she had ever truly loved with all of her heart, and she felt like she was abandoning him. No matter what she said to him, she knew that she would probably always love him. She didn't want this anymore; she didn't want to be his victim anymore. If anything she wanted to show him how strong she could truly be. The more that she thought about it, the more it became a wish to see him coming back to her. Maybe a part of her had become like him, maybe somewhere within her she couldn't resist the image of him not being able to go on without her in his life.

She was so caught up in her thoughts, she didn't even notice him lift up his bag and start to head for the door. "Wait Mr. Todd, I just wanted to wish you luck. No matter 'ow you feel about me or what have thought of me in the past, I do not wish you any 'arm." He did not smile; he did not say a word. All he did was nod and turn to leave again. Exasperated, Nellie let out a loud groan and spun on her heel to turn away from the door. Her chest rose and fell with her heavy breathing as she fell into the chair opposite her friend. She rolled her hands into tight fists and supported her forehead on them, her head shaking violently and biting her lower lip forcefully.

Autumn gulped and looked at the door quickly. She reached out her hand and placed her hand on Nellie's fist, Nellie looked up with tears in her eyes. "S'alright Nell, just think about everything that 'e can't put ya through anymore. Every time that he gave ya 'ope and pulled it out from under your feet. All of the physical and emotional anguish that he 'as made you feel, it can be put behind you now."

Mrs. Lovett sighed and nodded. "I know Autumn, but I don't know if I can ever truly stop being in love with 'im. No matter what some may say, love doesn't just end abruptly." It wasn't that she was completely regretting her decision now that she had gone through with it; it was the shock that she had gathered the strength to do it at all.

Autumn took a sip of her tea and gave Nellie a half smile. "The way that I see it Nell, there are always two types of love. There's a healthy love that lives and leaves everyone happy. Sure there are some problems, but it's too strong to be knocked down. Then there's love that kills, it stings to the point where everything is destroyed. Then at some point you have to decide, do you want to be stung or do you want to survive?"

Nellie traced the rim of her teacup with her index finger and sighed, blinking away some stray tears. "I suppose that I survived then?" Autumn let out a light chuckle and raised her cup. A tiny smile appeared on Nellie's face as their cups clinked together before they each took a sip.

Autumn jerked her head upwards and let out a loud laugh. "I swear, sometimes we girls don't know how much we need to trust and stand with each other, that is until we have male problems." Nellie hid her face in her palms and started to laugh, making a grin appear on Autumn's face. "There ye go Nell, now I got you laughing! You just wait, he'll come back apologizing and asking for you to allow him to move back in." She gave the baker a smirk and a small wink. Nellie simply chuckled and shook her head in response.

Sweeney walked along the street, not having the slightest idea of where he could go. He hadn't been lying when he said that 186 Fleet Street was the place that felt like home to him. Now he had been removed and he had no idea of what he was going to do. Why did Mrs. Lovett have to always overreact anyway? It wasn't as if he was going to kill the woman, he just wanted to give her a scare. He began to grumble under his breath as he kicked at the stones along the sidewalk. Suddenly a high-pitched voice broke him out of his thoughts. "'Ey there, ya lookin' for a place ta stay sir?" His head shot in the direction of a woman with short bright red hair. A large grin was on her face and her brown eyes seemed to sparkle.

She looked both ways and ran across the street to where the barber stood staring at her. "My husband and I are trying to rent out a room, ya know, with money being tight and all. I just saw you walkin' around with that bag and figured, so you lookin' for a place?" Sweeney's lips straightened out and he simply nodded his head. The woman clapped her hands together and she grinned again. "'Ow wonderful, my name's Margaret Capot by the way. People usually call me Maggie though, and you are?"

Sweeney just continued to stare at the woman as she talked. She certainly seemed to be fond of that, a lot like Mrs. Lovett he had to admit. "Sweeney Todd ma'am, though I prefer Mr. Todd personally."

Maggie laughed and nodded her head. "Nice to meet you Mr. Todd personally. Come along inside then. You can put your things down and I can show you around, then we can talk about rent." Sweeney nodded and followed behind her. As they made their way Sweeney could help but glance at Maggie. She seemed to have plenty of excited energy, much like Mrs. Lovett did. Plus it was rather difficult to ignore that fact that she was wearing her red corset on the tighter side, quite like his former landlady. He shook his head and decided to keep his attention on the buildings as they made their way.

Once inside, Maggie immediately spoke up. "Terrance, we 'ave a potential tenant!" Sweeney slightly backed away at the woman's screaming. Maggie turned slightly and upturned her lips slightly. "I'm sorry sir, me 'usband gets so wrapped up in his work sometimes. It's just easier to speak up a bit loudly when he's not very close by." Sweeney nodded his head and began to walk around the home, until a gangly man met him eye to eye.

The man smiled and held out his hand. "Hello, my name is Terrance Smith. You must be the one looking for a place."

Sweeney nodded his head and no matter how much he didn't want to, he had to make a good first impression if he was going to stay here. He accepted Terrance's handshake and forced a slight smile.

**I know, "it took you long enough Helena!" Damned stress from school and writers block gets to me all of the time. Not to mention work and other things that have kept me away from this story. I won't waste time giving out shitty excuses though. I'll just say that I hope that you enjoyed it and that I hope that you can review as well. They just leave a smile on my face, a big old Cheshire grin! 8D So if you want to see a Cheshire grin, then leave a review. Peace, love and other nice things to you all. =:3 )~**


	3. Injured and A New Home

**Injured and A New Home**

** Chapter three is here and present! I just thought that I would come out with this one and two together since I've been so bad about it. So I do hope that it somewhat makes up for my lateness. If not then, you can say something to me that will make me sad in your review (if you do review). I do hope that you get some entertainment out of this chapter though. So read on my friends. Oh, I don't own Sweeney Todd. *Sweeney*: She doesn't, and it's just making her suffer! Ha! Me: Aw man, Sweeney's making me feeling suffering. **

Many thoughts ran through Sweeney's head as Maggie cleared her throat, signaling that they should get to business. Was he going to be able to afford to stay here and keep up with the rent? Mrs. Lovett had always kept it easy for him; she had given him a more than fair rent cost. What was Mrs. Lovett doing right now anyway, was she regretting her decision to send him away by now?

He halted and closed his eyes tightly. He had to stop this, why was he thinking about the woman anyway? He didn't give a shit about what happened to her, he would be happy if she suffered without him. He thought about how satisfied he would be to return to 186 Fleet Street one day. Only to find the immoral and uncomfortably kind baker dead from self-neglect, and possibly to find the foolish boy that she had taken in either gone or suffering himself.

That's when he thought of the problem that was the most important to him. How was he going to kill the judge now? It would have been much easier before; his home and his shop were the same place. All that he would have to have done was draw the sick bastard into his shop; the rest would have been easy. Now he didn't even have a shop anymore, where would he find one?

The bird's singing was what woke Nellie Lovett the next morning. She rose out of bed and dressed quickly. She checked the clock in her parlor and cursed under her breath, running into her shop to prepare breakfast.

When Toby came into the shop his eyes lit up and he could not stop staring at the food. "Wow mum, everything looks delicious." He smiled at Mrs. Lovett and ran around to the back of the counter to embrace her.

"Aww, well thank you dearie. What's all of this for though?" Toby quickly let go and looked down, saying that he simply felt like it. Nellie smiled and ruffled the boy's hair, as Toby went to sit down and eat he saw Mrs. Lovett grab a third plate of food. "Erm mum, what are you doing?"

Mrs. Lovett looked down at the plate and suddenly her glowing face darkened. Her eyes seemed to dull and her mouth turned downward. "Right, I just forgot is all." Suddenly her lips turned into a tight smile and she brought the third plate over to the table. "'Ow's about we split the rest between the two of us Toby?" He nodded and watched her as she moved half of what would normally be Sweeney's breakfast between the pair. They ate their breakfast in an awkward silence.

Toby kept taking quick glances up at Nellie. When she caught his glance a clearly forced smile would appear on her face. When he saw that she wasn't looking at him though, her expression was very different. Her smile constantly changed between a tight straight line and a much too obvious frown. Her eyes also seemed hollowed out as she absent mindedly moved the food around on her plate. She took a few bites, then noticing that Toby had already finished she began to take them away. "Mum, I'll take mine and you just finish eating yours."

Mrs. Lovett gave him a small smile. "Thanks sweet but I'm not terribly 'ungry. Anyway, we've got to start baking some pies otherwise the customers will 'ave nothing to eat." Toby simply shrugged and left to get the ingredients all together while she cleaned. He already knew that this was going to be a long day for the both of them, especially with Mr. Todd gone.

Nellie walked down to the bake house; luckily there were still a few bodies left from before Sweeney had left. There seemed to be enough for lunch and dinner that day, but she would certainly have to go out and get more meat the next day. She only hoped that it wouldn't be too expensive. She loved the boy as if he was her own son; he was sweet and was actually thankful for everything that she did for him. Sweeney never did a thing to show that he appreciated her. She had loved him with every part of her; she would have done anything for him. The selfish bastard didn't care though, he never cared about her! All that he cared about was revenge, the judge, his daughter and his horrible wife. The more that she thought about him, the angrier she got until she was hacking away and ruining all of the good meat that could be used in the pies. She cursed loudly and cleaved madly at the dead body in front of her, not paying any attention until pain spread through her. Her gaze shot downward to see blood pouring out of a gash in her hand. Tears started to run down her cheeks as she let out a loud scream.

Suddenly she heard the scamper of quiet footsteps. "Mum, mum are you alright?" Mrs. Lovett moved slightly and glanced upward to see Toby looking down at her.

He began to make his way down the stairs but Mrs. Lovett screamed up at him. "No Toby, there's no need to come down 'ere love. I just gave meself a nasty cut is all, I'll be right up." She got to her feet and made her way up the stairs, her hand wrapped tightly in her apron. Once she reached the top step she ran for the pie shop and thrust her hand into the water hoping that it would get rid of some of the blood. Toby walked in wringing his hands, Mrs. Lovett gave him a large smile to try calming his nerves. "I'm really fine Toby love; do you remember where the first aid kit is? Could you just grab it and bring in here for me?" Toby nodded and ran off while Nellie continued to soak her wound.

Toby helped Mrs. Lovett wrap the bandage around her hand. Toby looked at the baker's forced smile and looked away slowly saying "You don't have to make me feel better mum. I'm sure that it 'urts a lot more than that. I am glad that you're okay though."

Nellie gave the boy the most genuine smile that she could and pulled him close to her. "You're so sweet Toby, thanks so much darling." She kissed him lightly on the cheek and he smiled at her. "Well, it looks like we're both going to have a bit of time off while my hand heals up. We don't want to be getting this infected or giving any customers an illness."

Toby nodded and his eyes suddenly lit up. "I've got it mum, why don't I do it? I could make the pies and serve them out, I just won't make too many or anything."

Nellie quickly put his idea to an end. "No Toby, I am happy that you want to help me. It is a lot of work though and I don't want you overworking yourself dear. At least wait until I'm all better, then you can help me make as many pies as you'd like?"

Toby looked down frowning and slowly lifted his head up to face her. "Alright mum, are you going to be alright?" She nodded and gave him a small wink before asking Toby to put some water on for tea.

Sweeney was unfortunately right back where he started. The rent that the Smith's had offered to him was too high for him to afford, or at least to be able to keep up with. With no clear space available nearby where he could open a barber shop, he wouldn't be able to afford the rent for long. He was just lucky that they had allowed him to stay the night without expense; he had to think of some way to thank the couple. So he had decided to spare Terrance Smith's life.

Sweeney had to think of something; maybe he could find other lodgings someplace. At least until he found a place where he could conveniently have a barber shop again, and that he could afford. Suddenly something caught his eye, a conspicuous barber pole a short distance ahead. A smirk came to his face as he quickened his steps. His smirk only grew wider when he saw the "For sale" sign. He opened the door to see an elderly balding man sweeping hair off of the floor. The man turned around in a wobbling manner and flashed a toothy grin at Sweeney. "Hello there sir, come in for a trim or a nice shave?"

Sweeney shook his head and held up his hands. "No, I was actually wondering about the sign you have in your window. I am a barber myself and am looking for a shop. I had to leave my last shop due to unforeseen circumstances, are you offering it?"

The old man smiled and nodded. "Why yes I am sir, the name's Burke Dokhill. I was beginning to think that no one would want to buy it; I've had this sign up for a few months now. Unfortunately I'm just getting too old for this job; the rooms upstairs are for sale as well. I can only assume from your bag that you were looking for a residence as well, luckily the upstairs comes with the downstairs."

Sweeney stood with his eyebrows raised; he honestly could not believe his luck with finally finding a suitable residence. "Now I suppose you would like to talk about the business of money before you actually have a look around eh?" Burke teetered over to the corner of the shop and picked up a cane that was resting against the wall. "Now do you see why I need to sell the place, I can barely get around anymore myself." Burke let out a weak laugh and slowly made his way over to the door. "Come on then, my living room's through here. You drink son, I can make us a few and we can talk payment." Sweeney simply nodded and followed the elderly man through the door.

After a bit past an hour, the door opened and the two men came back into the barber shop. "Well I do wish you success on your future shop Mr. Todd. So I'll just finish up my packing, my daughter and her husband should be by tomorrow to pick me up. I did tell you that they were allowing me to move in with them right? My daughter's just so worried about me being out in the city alo-."

Sweeney nodded his head quickly in order to stop Burke from continuing with his sentimental drabble. "It's fine sir, should I just stay in the extra bedroom back there?"

Burke nodded and smiled. "If you would like to you may join me for dinner as well. I've heard a lot of good words about a pie shop on-."

Sweeney furrowed his eyebrows and spoke quickly "Fleet Street." Burke nodded and Sweeney shook his head. "I'd rather not. I'm just, not much of a meat pie fan. I am not especially hungry, my gratitude for the invitation though Mr. Dokhill."

The man shrugged and struggled over to his coat, slowly pulling it over his shoulders and slowly making his way to the door. Sweeney brought his hand to his back pocket and felt for his razor. "Feel free to do some more looking around Mr. Todd, look around your future bedroom if you would like." Burke was about to open the door when Sweeney wrapped his arm around his neck and dragged the razor across the elderly man's throat. Burke let out a scream that ended in only drowned gurgles as the beautiful rubies projected from his throat. He smirked and pulled the body into the now former owner's living room. He looked around until he saw the door that Burke had said led into his cellar space. He smirked and pulled Burke's body down the stairs and into the cellar. He let out a sigh and decided to dispose of the body completely later, for now he had to find a mop to clean up the bloody mess with.

Sweeney sat in his barber chair, well, now it was his. It became his the moment that he had found the sewer grate in the cellar and had thrown the worthless old man into the waters below. In the time between him disposing of the old man's body and now, he had moved his belongings into his new shop and into his new bedroom. Now until Sweeney could convince the judge to possibly pay him a visit, he just had to worry about his meddlesome child and her husband.

The next morning Sweeney woke in his new bed. He yawned and groaned at the sounds of the birds chirping outside. It wasn't as if he abhorred the sounds of their singing. In fact it was one of the only things that brought him some amount of peace, partially because he could remember how much Lucy and Johanna had loved them. He just didn't want so much noise as soon as he woke up. He made his way over to the small window that gave him a small view of the city. So maybe this window wasn't as convenient for finding victims as his one back on Fleet Street, but at least it was something.

He got dressed quickly and made his way downstairs to grab his coat. Maybe he could find someplace to have some breakfast before advertising his new location, plus he still had to think of a way to get rid of the girl and her husband. He saw a carriage go by and suddenly a brilliant idea came to his mind. He found a small eatery, ate quickly and made his way to the hardware shop. If he was going to make this shop like his last one on Fleet Street, he would have to make some renovations.

He had just finished cleaning up the mess from his trap door when there was a knock at his shop door. He opened it to see a young woman with gray eyes and black eyes. "I'm very sorry sir; maybe I have the wrong address." One of her eyebrows fell and the left side of her lips curved into a frown.

Sweeney shook his head quickly. "No ma'am, you must be Mr. Dokhill's daughter." She let out a sigh and smiled, nodding her head slowly. "He isn't here right now actually. I am Mr. Sweeney Todd; I'm taking over the shop. He actually said that he forgot about something and that he was going to be away for a while. He asked if maybe you could take his things now, and since he knows where you live he could arrive later on. He doesn't have much to move really."

The woman frowned and walked back to the carriage and her husband. They spoke quietly before they both came back over to the barber. The man smiled and held out his hand. Upon seeing Sweeney's expression he pulled it back quickly and cleared his throat. "Hello there Mr. Todd, my name's Richard. I suppose that it would be alright for us to take his things for him, it would certainly be helpful to the old boy wouldn't it?" The couple laughed and the barber continued to stand there in his typical nonchalant stance. They looked at each other and Sweeny moved out of the way to give them room to enter the shop.

The woman looked out with her jaw hanging slightly. "Well you certainly didn't waste time getting moved in did you Mr. Todd? You've already got new things in here, and my father's things seem to be all packed up and ready."

Sweeney nodded and clasped his hands tightly behind his back. "No ma'am, he was already plenty packed up when I arrived yesterday. It was his recommendation that I get myself settled in. However I am sure that it does come as quite a shock." The woman faced him and let out another long sigh. "I can help you to move these if you would like." The woman thanked him and he forced a half smile onto his face. The woman let out a slight laugh and quickly turned to her husband, baring her teeth. He crossed his arms and silently agreed with her nervous expression, they could both feel the uneasy tension that the barber gave off.

After they were finished getting everything into the carriage the couple smiled and waved goodbye to Sweeney. Sweeney watched as the carriage drove away and gave a small smirk before going back into his shop. Now the only thing that Sweeney had to worry about was how to get the judge under his desperate razor. Sweeney couldn't wait anymore; he had to get the judge, and now! If he waited any longer he could swear that he would go mad, well, more mad. For now though, he had to get more materials for his tonsorial parlor. He couldn't delude his customers into believing that he was a proper barber if he did not have the right materials now could he?

Sweeney made his way around the market stalls, comparing all of the prices to see which he could get for the best price. He needed to save as much money as he could since he hadn't opened his new shop yet. He was just lucky that he hadn't needed to pay the old fool for his new residence. He couldn't help but smirk as he recalled his most recent, mark, on the world. He paid for his two purchases and continued on his way. He was about to check out another stall when two figures caught his attention.

**Dun dun duuuuuuun! So how was that, was it a good enough cliffhanger? Oh I do hope that you liked chapter three and I hope that you enjoy future chapters to come. If not then I do apologize for my ability at sucking. I hope this is keep everyone interested, I know that it has been a while and I do apologize for that. So drop on by and leave a review if you would like. All you have to do is leave some words and press the button. If you do then I will give you a free rat and a delicious cookie! =:3 )~**


End file.
